This Suncatcher Hearts craft is a simple and beautiful art appropriate for all ages. You may adjust the level of difficulty according to age and dexterity per the suggestions. You may review other suggestions for crafts or recipes in our other recent posts. Alternatively you may subscribe to receive our posts. If you need continuos material and ideas for your class, please register to one of our curriculum packages for stories, blocks, circles and more. Contact us with any questions.
Gratitude is a feeling we cultivate in children since they start communicating. Prompting them to say the magic word or to be polite in their interaction with us and others are a few ways to encourage thankfulness. During a special time or a holiday, cards are a wonderful way to express our gratitude, love or caring. As we start the new year, making crafts with our children or the children we teach is fun and enhances values that will remain with them. Empathy and showing our feelings for others are part of these values that are cultivated when we make a birthday, holiday card or write a thank you note.
Besides being a fun activity and a wonderful way to foster good values, a craft with younger children stimulates their fine motor skills and artistic abilities. In Waldorf schools, this premise is observed in all daily activities: Academic lessons with crayon and pencil drawings, painting, crafts, foreign language lessons, circus arts, and more. Below are a couple of crafts that will bring joy to your classroom or family free time. I recommend this craft for all ages, but variations for pre-k children are suggested. I hope this brightens your crafting time.
Winter Solstice – Festivals of Light
Many cultures celebrate the coming winter months with a festival of light. In Christian cultures, this holiday is Advent.
Advent is the time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas. The Advent season is revered from its beginning, the last Sunday of November, until Christmas day with four Sundays.
The festival of light is recognized by many cultures with different celebrations. The ancient Egyptians celebrated the festival of Osiris; the Celts and Druids held great festivals of light and fire; and the Jews celebrate Hanukkah, the festival of lights.
Advent Celebration
In Waldorf schools this time is lived with great intensity. There are several rituals or proceedings in the Advent celebration. Generally there are different items that are added to the classroom such as a wreath, the nature table with a blue cloth, angels and a manger.
Advent wreath
On the teacher’s table or the seasonal table, the Advent wreath with 4 candles is prepared. Every Sunday a candle is lit (at home), and at school a new one is lit every Monday. The candle will be lit every day during the first week with a poem and Christmas carols as part of the rhythm for the beginning of the day. Next Monday a second candle is lit, and then a third, until the week of Christmas where all four candles are lit. During the lighting of the Advent candles, the stories of the angels are a good way to bring the elements to the nature table.
Nature Table
The station table is changed on the first week of Advent. A blue cloth is placed on the wall and another on the table below representing a country scene. At one end of the table Mary is placed, behind Saint Joseph and the donkey, who each day advance a little towards the manger. At the opposite end, the place of the stable will be prepared, and a beautiful stone can be laid in the place that the baby will later occupy.
Angels Stories
The stories of the angels could also be told during each week. The blue angel is the story told the first week and a blue angel is also hung at the nativity scene and the children are told the story of the blue angel. The blue angel represents the mineral kingdom. In that first week only stones are placed on the nativity scene.
The following week, the red angel is hung and the story of the red angel is told; this angel represents plant kingdom. Some plants are laid on the nativity scene, such as: mosses, small bushes, leaves…
The following week, the white angel is hung and the story of the white angel is told; It represents the animal kingdom. In that week the animals will appear: sheep, ducklings, horses…
Before going on winter break, the purple angel appears and we tell the story of the purple angel. This angel represents the humans. In the nativity, the shepherds appear.
Manger
On the last day of class, Mary, Joseph and the donkey have already arrived at the portal. The child is laying in the crib. All the items added slowly during these past weeks are beautifully decorating the manger.
During this time, the teacher tells the story of the birth of Jesus. A small celebration follows singing Christmas carols, which is a ceremony that the children enjoy. And so is the lighting of the four candles in the wreath.
Advent Calendar
In the classroom there is usually an Advent calendar with little windows. It could be simple, made with cloth or with paper. Every day a child opens the little window and receives a small gift. This gift can be anything the teacher has prepared. Some examples are: a small stone or precious crystal, a dry fruit or seed, a small animal modeled in wax, a bright star to hang.
Advent Spiral
The Advent Spiral is a tradition that takes place usually in the first week of Advent. Preferably it is prepared and then removed without the children seeing it. Preferably the room would be dark to create the right scene of reverence and for the candles to light brightly.
With fir leaves or branches a large spiral is made on the ground. Many golden stars will be placed for the candles. At the end of it, in the center there will be a lighted candle on a base.
On a separate table, the candles are placed in a red apple that acts as a candlestick.
Advent songs or Christmas carols are sung while the spiral is being walked. An instrument could also be played, such as a lyre, guitar or flute.
Before going through the spiral, the teacher can tell a little story. Example:
”Christmas will soon arrive and like Mary and Joseph we are going to walk the path to light our candle. It will accompany us every night before we go to sleep.”
All the children will be seated and silent around the spiral, but separated from it, so that there is enough space to make the spiral walk.
The teacher enters first and arrives very calmly to the center and lights a candle. After the teacher places it on the first star and slowly returns. Each child will do the same.
Along the spiral, gold stars border it. Each child will bring a candle, light it and lay a lighted candle on top of a star.
This is a symbol of offering the best of ourselves in the service of others, making our light shine.
As we are in the darkest days during this time, the season of Advent invites us to turn on our inner light. It calls for us to find our silence where we can find strength and peace, and to share our light.
Inner Quiet
Quiet I bear within me,
I bear within myself
Forces to make me strong.
Now will I be imbued with their glowing warmth.
Now will I fill myself
With my own will’s resolve.
And I will feel the quiet
Pouring through all my being
When by my steadfast striving
I become strong
To find within myself the source of strength
The strength of inner quiet.
-Rudolf Steiner
The origin of the Halloween celebration goes back to the Celtics more than 3.000 years ago, according to the University of Oxford [National Geographic, Oct 2022]. Celtic towns in Europe used to celebrate their new year, also called Samhain, which today is celebrated from October 31 until November 1. Samhain marked the Celtic New Year, the end of summer, and the end of the harvest season. It also represented the beginning of winter, which the Celtic pagans associated with death. On this day, the Celts believed the veil between the living and the dead was especially thin. This allowed spirits of the dead to visit the living.
This festival or ritual served the purpose of giving farewell to Lugh, the Sun God, and welcoming the short and cold nights that Autumn would bring.
Thus, the night before, the eve of Samhain, continued to be celebrated with bonfires, costumes and parades, but it began to be called “All Hallows’ Eve”, which ended up leading to “Halloween”. Halloween traditions differ around the globe, but generally there are the famous Halloween candy, trick or treating, spooky costume and carving pumpkins.
In some cultures and religions, the days of November 1 and 2 mark the celebration of All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day and Day of the Dead. In the catholic religion All Saints’ day, on November 1st, venerates all the holy men and women who have been canonized by the Church. This celebration is followed by All Souls’ day, on November 2, which commemorates all who have passed within the faith. On the day of the dead, we pay respect to our ancestors and remember their influence. Altars are lifted and decorated with tokens to remind us of their presence.
In Waldorf schools, Halloween and Day of the Dead or All Saints’ Day are celebrated with different rituals or events. One special way to remember Halloween, as we did at Guanacaste Waldorf Inspired School, is to dress up with friendly costumes that are conducive to be fun and spark imagination.
As we bring the festival of Halloween to the Early Childhood Classes we try to honor the spirit of its origins as well as honor the children at their stage of development. This age demands goodness, beauty, security, protection. It is also a time of imagination and living in a stream of constant transformation whereby one minute they are kittens and the next sailors, farmers, princesses or kings; then off to be a mother or a baker and then to build a train and be an engineer—and so it goes. When dressing up, one changes one’s identity for a period of time. Young children striving towards their own identity need to seek the identity of those who are worthy of imitation. To dress up in the costumes of characters who represent harm or media characters that come from somebody else’s imagination are opposite to our intentions in the Early Childhood Classes.
As pumpkins are grown in colder places, they are not readily available at a tropical place, such as Costa Rica. But carving is a Halloween activity that cannot be missed. It could be a work of art and the children enjoy it. We solve this by carving tropical fruit, creating very unique watermelon, pineapple and papaya jack-o lanterns.
Carved Pumpkins are often placed outside signaling the welcoming of trick or treaters.
The older grades children would dress up as well as the young German volunteers with friendly costumes with a forest theme. The magic surrounded our forest with fairies, gnomes, blacksmith, enchanted wizard, bubble fairy, little red riding hood, and more.. They would appear in the enchanted forest trail walk that the younger children took with their teachers. The magical characters shared special fruits and treats from the forest such as: “uchuvas”, coconut, strawberries, raisins, and cashews. This event became so popular that we would bring it back to light during our Winter Holiday Market.
Regardless of the way this special Autumn festival is celebrated, the importance of its significance to the different cultures is embraced and remembered to give respect to the Saints, all souls or to make it an opportunity to say “trick or treat”.
Some of these poems and songs have been collected throughout the different classes and years of celebration. We share with you the most popular ones among the children.
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate, (show 5 fingers)
The first one said, (1 finger)
“Oh, my, it’s getting late.” (hands on cheeks)
The second one said, (2 fingers)
“There are witches in the air.” (point up and look up)
The third one said, (3 fingers)
“But we don’t care.” (wag pointer finger)
The fourth one said, (4 fingers)
“Let’s run and run and run.” (move arms like you’re running)
The fifth one said, (5 fingers)
“I’m ready for some fun.” (punch up w/both fists)
“Whooo!” went the wind,
and out went the light, (clap on “out”)
And the five little pumpkins (5 fingers)
rolled out of sight. (roll arms)
Pumpkin, Pumpkin round and fat (cover eyes with hands)
turn into a jack-o-lantern
just like that (take the hands off and make a funny face)
A pumpkin is big ( circle hands over head)
A pumpkin is round ( circle hands in front)
A pumpkin has a great big smile ( outline smile on mouth)
But doesn’t make a sound ( Put finger over lips)
October 12, Cultures’ Day, is a the day of heritage and culture embraced in many parts of the world. It is a celebration in many Waldorf schools, especially in American schools. Before sharing how we celebrate this day in schools, it is worth mentioning as part of history how the recognition of this day originated and its name change.
The different countries in America and Europe have renamed the originally celebration of Columbus Day to different names, the first one being “The day of the Race (Dia de la Raza)”. However, throughout the past 100 years, this celebration has adopted many different names.
The celebration of Columbus Day as the discovery of America was considered inaccurate. The commemoration of this event in history was celebrating the American resistance and the converging of cultures. The message of the discovery of America by a ruthless colonial oppressor or conqueror who enslaved the indigenous people was not pleasing. Several States in the US have toppled Columbus’ statues, including Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts. Columbus was far from a hero but his discovery was crucial in the merging of Europe and the Americas. Hence, Italians focus on his qualities of ingenuity, resilience and courage, still holding Columbus in high esteem. [Washington Post, Oct 2020]
Irrespective of the opinions about Columbus, the focus on the impact of this discovery in America and the exchange of culture around the world prevails. Several countries and states in the United States first adopted the name to “Dia de la Raza” or Day of Race. Many countries later renamed it since the term “race” may have sounded a bit harsh, offensive, or discriminatory. The new names given to this National Day of October 12th vary around the world. In Spain, the name of the holiday is “El día de la Hispanidad”, or Day of ‘Spanishness’. Its celebration began in 1892 as National Spain Day. [El Mundo, Oct 2022]
In Latin American countries, the names differ. To name a few: in Argentina “The Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity”; in Nicaragua and Venezuela “The Day of Indigenous Resistance”; in Chile “The Day of the Encounter Between Two Worlds”; and in Costa Rica “The Day of the Cultures”. Even though the names are different in several countries, the message is the same. It is a day of celebration of the birth of a new identity and the fusion of Europeans with indigenous people.
This celebration of cultures is meaningful and visible in many countries and communities that have diversity of nationalities and backgrounds. Hence the day of culture, as the name in Costa Rica, is very descriptive of a time to share and embrace each other’s origins.
In Waldorf schools, particularly at GWS in Costa Rica, children and teachers brought different cultural items to share. Children will show and tell during class or share with the entire school. These items ranged from a drawing, a map, an outfit, a song, a dance, or a delicious dish from their country. During this week, we would prepare the children singing or reciting poems with a clear message of welcoming and cherishing our community and fellow residents.
As a teacher in the primary grades, I made dishes that originated from Ecuador, Brazil, and Argentina which I enjoyed growing up. For instance, my students made in class Pan de Yuca, a favorite Ecuadorian snack accompanied with yogurt smoothies, and a favorite also in Brazil – “Pão de Queijo”. This is a simple recipe that makes a quick dish in a lesson to practice math and social skills. If you feel like bringing a dish from another country into your class or family recipes, I share here a couple of recipes that are sure to bring smiles to children as well as adults. I hope you have a wonderful time celebrating this week with your family or community. Enjoy!
Yuca Bread, Pan de Yuca or Pão de Queijo: https://waldorfinspired.org/pan-de-yuca-or-pao-de-queijo/
Beef Empanadas/Empanadas de Carne: https://waldorfinspired.org/beef-empanadas/
For the dough:
For the filling:
For assembling empanadas:
To make the dough:
To make the filling:
Empanadas could be made with any filling of your preference. Another favorite filling is cheese. You may add any soft cheese such as mozzarella or Swiss cheese. Follow the dough recipe and just add a scoop of shredded cheese and fold the empanadas per the instructions. This appetizer, especially the one with beef filling, is very popular in South America and Central America.
-2 cups yuca flour or tapioca flour (other names are cassava starch or tapioca starch)
-4 cups grated mozzarella cheese can also use half mozzarella & half other soft cheeses as mexican mix
-1 tsp baking powder
-Pinch of salt
-1 stick of butter 4 oz at room temperature
-2 large eggs
-2-4 tablespoons of water
-Pre-heat the oven to 500°F.
-In a food processor or bowl, place the yuca flour, cheese, salt and baking powder. Process well until combined. Add the butter and eggs slowly while food processor is running or mix with a wooden spoon. If the dough is too dry, add slowly the water with a spoon until the consistency is soft but not too wet. Knead the dough with your hands in the bowl or mix well with the spoon.
-Make small balls about 1-1.5 inch width and set them on a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper.
-Bake immediately or store in the fridge until ready to bake. If time allows, chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes before baking.
-Once the oven reaches 500 F, turn on broiler, place the breads on the middle rack and bake until the breads turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and bake for 2 more minutes. You may also pre-heat the oven to 400 F and bake for 5 minutes and then turn on the broiler for 5 more minutes. Depending on the oven, time may vary. Serve warm.
Saint Michael or Michaelmas is a festival common to almost all Waldorf schools. Saint Michael is the legendary archangel who bravely defeats the dragon that has wreaked havoc on the community. It focuses on Michael’s courage to transform the symbolic dragon from evil to good. It is a festival of inner strength and initiative. It is about all of us, as individuals, having the will to take action that helps transform the world.
The days get shorter in many parts of the world. We retreat to our inner selves. At this time we need to cultivate love and courage in the face of apathy and fear. In other parts of the world the seasons are changing in other particular ways, there may be more rain or rain is starting to dissipate. Although the seasons may be different, there is a common factor around the world, harvest. Harvest is at its peak during this time, bringing many goods to our table. The festival of Michael gives us also a reason to be grateful and show appreciation for the gifts of nature around our local community.
Below is a traditional story to share with the primary grade students and a poem to celebrate this festival of strength and gratitude.
“THE SWORD OF MICAEL” (Source unknown)
Many years ago there was a luminous country, its inhabitants were: industrious, kind, truthful, hospitable and generous; Peace and joy reigned in that country. A luminous golden light enveloped him.
There was another country wrapped in darkness in which horrible and malevolent beings lived who looked enviously at the luminous country, their longing was to reach the golden country.
One day without knowing how or why a mysterious being arrived in the golden and luminous country, he was dressed all in black, his features were horrible and his look was cloudy and vindictive.
From the day he appeared he was dedicated to going from one place to another sowing intrigues and discord. At first people fled from him, but little by little he managed to get them to pay attention to him and start changing his good manners and customs.
The older people did not want to go to his work or they arrived very late and worked reluctantly. The children became lazy and did not want to learn. Adults and children got angry, sulky and fought over unimportant things. They no longer cared about each other and that’s why they lied. Many people became more and more ambitious and did not respect the property of others, that is why the doors of the houses had several locks and bars on their doors and windows. In the golden country life was becoming unbearable and a black and smelly cloud was enveloping everything. As this was happening in the country, the mysterious character was transforming into a terrible monster in the form of a 7-headed dragon that attacked and frightened everyone. Despair was taking over them.
The king, of the golden country, did not know what to do to get rid of the terrible misfortune that had them plunged into panic. Since he couldn’t sleep at night, he thought and prayed to know how they could get rid of this misfortune. One night he thought that the next day he would climb the nearby hill where there was a small church, he got up very early and went there in search of good inspiration. When he arrived at the church the door was open, he entered its interior and in the background he saw the image of an archangel who in his hand had a shining sword and under his feet there was a frightening black dragon.
The king stayed there all day invoking help and protection for his people, very late at night he returned to his palace; he was exhausted but very confident and calm. He fell into a deep sleep. In dreams he saw that luminous archangel who told him: ” I have heard your prayers and I have come to help you, I am Saint Michael the Archangel, the protector of men.”
The king told him.” Archangel Saint Michael, give me your sword and your courage so that I can kill the dragon that threatens us and that has sown discord and misfortune in my kingdom.
The archangel replied: “In this time the dragons do not kill each other as in ancient times, they are immune to any sword. Only with the light that comes out of the hearts of men can the dragon be driven away or transformed, that must be the sword that defeats it”.
The king said: What must I do to get what you advise me?
Do not lie, always tell the truth. Get out of your palace, know the needs of your country, make sure that everyone has a house, food, decent work, be kind and generous with everyone. Open your palace so that children can play in your gardens and parks, and young and old can enjoy the books in your library, the music played by your musicians and the plays you see.
If you do all this, my light and my courage will accompany you.
The dream made such an impression on him, that for him, it was not a dream but a reality, that’s why he woke up very early and got up. His heart brimmed with joy but at the same time doubts assailed him.
Could he do as Saint Michael advised?
He again asked the archangel for help and protection and steeled himself.
In his throne room he gathered the queen and all his ministers and told them his dream, upon hearing it they all agreed that it was necessary to put into practice the advice of Saint Michael to rid the kingdom of the darkness and evil that was taking over. of many of its inhabitants.
A royal page traveled the country announcing great changes in the kingdom in the name of the king.
From that day the king, the queen and all his ministers toured the country to meet the needs of all its inhabitants. Land was distributed so that everyone could have orchards with healthy food, jobs were created, all families had a house with a garden, beautiful schools were built with teachers who loved the children very much and had large spaces where they could play; in each village there was a small hospital and houses for young children and for the elderly. The king’s palace opened its parks, its gardens, its library, its theater and concert hall for everyone to enjoy.
The inhabitants of the kingdom did not understand what was happening, but they realized that the black cloud that enveloped everything was clearing up and the dragon was seen less and less. That encouraged them to act like the king and the ministers to him.
As their customs changed, the golden light was enveloping everything and the dragon was losing a head every year, it was becoming weaker and barely appeared.
After seven years all the inhabitants of the kingdom returned to be as in the beginning: industrious, generous and lovers of the good, the beautiful and the true. The golden and brilliant light already radiated in all its splendor, this light made the dragon was annihilated and never appeared again.
The king and all the inhabitants had learned that the new sword of Saint Michael to defeat the dragon was forged with the light of the heart of all the inhabitants of the country, they already had the secret to know how to always defeat the dragon on the outside and inside . That was the gift they received from Saint Michael and passed it on in the kingdom from generation to generation.
THE SWORD OF MICHAEL
Saint Michael’s Sword
It is more polished than a ray of sunshine;
The mesh of San Miguel
it is bright as silver.
The voice of Saint Michael
it is majestic as thunder.
Saint Michael’s cape
is brighter than the moon:
Michael’s Steed
it is faster than a meteor;
Saint Michael’s forehead
is more radiant than the sky:
If my heart is braver
than the power of the dragon,
son I am from Saint Michael.
One of the central pillars of Waldorf education is the study of the human development. Steiner pedagogy recognizes stages which take place in seven year cycles. Every seven years, the human being develops distinct characteristics.
~ In the First Seven Years ~
The child is a sense being, and as such is like a sponge taking in everything around him. During the first seven years the child mainly learns through physical activity and the effects of physical stimuli. In these first seven-years, children learn by imitation; everything that is around the children is absorbed. Teachers and adults around children need to be worth of imitation and have a happy and loving attitude with honest unaffected love.
As equally important is the exposure of the young child to natural and simple surroundings and what they are given by ways of toys, which will serve as a great stimulus to their own inner activity than any other means of organized play or perfectly planned environment.
The learning environment for the young child should have a flow of adequate rhythms and activities that stimulate the senses and provide space to play creatively and imaginatively.
In conclusion, learning at this stage is experiencing their new world through their senses and then using play as their means of absorbing those experiences. Current brain research has repeatedly shown that this activity directly influences the development of the body. It is the sense impressions which help to develop both the functioning of the sense organs and thus also the maturing processes in the brain. (Herman Haken, Maria Haken-Krell. “Erfolgsgeheimnisse der Wahrnehmung”, Berlin 1994).
Steiner stated this in one of his lectures:
“Just as the muscles in the hand grow strong when they do work suited to them, so are the brain and the other organs set on the right course if they receive suitable impressions from their surroundings.” (Rudolf Steiner, “The Education of the Child and Early Lectures on Education”, Anthroposophic Press, 1996)
